'Washingtoon' Wit Has D.c.'s Number

August 30, 1985|By Noel Holston, Sentinel Television Critic

Newly sworn-in Rep. Bob Forehead is strolling down the hall of the Sam Rhubarb Building in Washington, D.C., telling House minority whip Hugh ''Bunky'' Muntner about all the bills he plans to introduce.

For one thing, Bob may propose a 50 percent pay cut for all House and Senate members to show the American people that the nation's leaders are willing to tighten their belts, too.

Bunky, a wily old pol who sees a perfect pawn in the naive newcomer, nearly swallows his ever-present cigar before he explains that he is working on a ''similar'' bill to hike congressional pay.

''A pay cut,'' he tells Bob, ''would be perceived by the public as us trying to get out of paying taxes, whereas a pay increase shows we're willing to pay more taxes. You know -- higher brackets, faith in the economy, et cetera, i.e., infinitum and fedora.

''So you see, Bob, your heart is in the right place, but you didn't think it through.''

''I guess not,'' says Bob, overwhelmed by the elder statesman's insight. ''Boy,'' he sighs, shaking his head like someone who just realized he could have had a V-8.

Bob and Bunky inhabit Washingtoon, Showtime's new comedy series. The first episode replays tonight at 11:30. Weekly appearances by the series begin Wednesday (8:30-9 p.m.) with an episode in which Bob accidentally exposes a defense-contract fraud that results in the shutdown of a plant that employs 4,000 of his constituents.

Washingtoon, produced by Tom Patchett (Buffalo Bill), was adapted by Neil Cuthbert from a darker, more intellectual comic strip by Mark Alan Stamaty that appears in The Washington Post. He has succeeded uproariously.

Think of all the previous sitcoms with political-satirical aspirations, from the soft-hearted Benson to the heavy-handed All's Fair, from the toothless Grandpa Goes to Washington to the tasteless Hail to the Chief.

Washingtoon wins by a landslide. At its sharpest and craziest, it recalls nothing so much as -- no, not ''Doonesbury.'' It's not that shrill. At its best, it evokes the wondrous illogic and baroque linguistics of ''Pogo.''

Forehead is played with a 150-watt smile and wide-eyed enthusiasm by Tom Callaway. He's so telegenic, he makes Rep. Bill Nelson look like Abe Lincoln. Bob was discovered by political puppeteers while he was working as a demonstrator of glow-in-the-dark coat hangers at a mall.

Bob sees Congress as a mere steppingstone. Ultimately, he wants to host a TV game show. He's a man whose hair always behaves under pressure.

The first bill Bob introduces would allow hard-working citizens with neither the energy nor the cash to go out at night to deduct the cost of TV and beer on their income tax returns.

''Mr. Speaker,'' Bob concludes, ''speedy passage of the Beer and Television Relief Act will say to the American people, 'Hey, this one's for you.' ''

My fellow Americans, so is Washingtoon.

Pardons begged: Writing about West 57th Tuesday, I transposed Meredith Vieira and Jane Wallace's names. Wallace did the Nicaraguan piece, Vieira the report on old rock stars.